Chirlane McCray Opens Up About Daughter Chiara's Struggle With Depression

Chirlane McCray is committed to bettering mental health resources across the Big Apple after watching her own daughter struggle with depression in recent years.

McCray, the wife of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, opened up on HuffPost Live about the challenges the family has faced. She recalled how difficult it was to locate "the services that [were] appropriate" to assist their daughter, Chiara de Blasio, in her recovery.

"She was 18, which meant she was an adult and she really had to take her recovery into her own hands, and of course I was right there beside her helping her, but it was tough," McCray told HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani.

The mother of two was adamant that Chiara find someone "who would be culturally sensitive to her walk through life and how she sees things, and that's not always easy," she said. Luckily, Chiara eventually found someone who helped with treatment. McCray noted that her daughter is presently "kicking butt at recovery."

With her own experience in mind, McCray recently vowed that the de Blasio administration will put millions of dollars toward mental health initiatives in order to offer patients the personalized help that mental illnesses generally require.

"The first step to recovery is reaching out to others," McCray explained. "It's the first step to healing. Just reaching out changes the dynamic inside your body where you're suffering and you feel like you're alone and there's no help anywhere, but reaching out is that first step that's necessary for anyone to take."

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January 1, 2014

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 1: Bill de Blasio (R) is sworn in as mayor of New York City by State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (L) while his family (L-R) Chiara de Blasio, Dante de Blasio and Chirlane McCray look on after midnight January 1, 2014 in the Park Slope neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. De Blasio took the oath outside his home in Park Slope. His inauguration will be celebrated at noon today on the steps of City Hall when he takes the oath again, which will be administered by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)